Bright faces new attacks from left

While beleaguered House Democrats across the country are facing a battering ram of attack ads from GOP-friendly groups, Alabama Rep. Bobby Bright is finding himself under assault from liberals.

Bright is the target of a new ad campaign from the left-leaning Blue America PAC that takes him to task for opposing the ambitious Democratic agenda during his first term in office.

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Blue America PAC has debuted a new radio ad that slams Bright for voting against everything from the health care bill to the economic stimulus act and says: “Bobby Bright votes with Republicans and against our president every time.”

The takeaway message the group hopes resonates with district voters: “Bobby Bright: He doesn’t vote for us – so we’re not going to vote for him.”

Blue America PAC is spending nearly $50,000 to run the ad on Montgomery-area radio stations. It is being targeted at stations with large African-American audiences – an historically Democratic-leaning demographic that accounts for nearly 31 percent of the population in the 2nd District.

“[Bright’s] record speaks for itself when it comes to voting against those people in those communities,” said Howie Klein, a liberal blogger and activist who directs Blue America PAC. Klein said Bright could claim “the worst record of any Democrat in the Congress.”

The organization will begin airing TV ads targeting Bright later this week.

Bright, a former Montgomery mayor who narrowly won election to his seat in 2008, is facing a competitive reelection race against Republican Montgomery City Councilor Martha Roby. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent heavily defending Bright, airing TV ads hammering Roby for wanting to abolish the Department of Education. But Bright is being similarly targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee and the conservative American Future Fund.

"It’s not surprising that partisan political organizations on both sides of the aisle would take issue with Congressman Bright being the most independent member of Congress. Standing up to political parties and special interests to do what’s right for his district will naturally upset those who want him to toe the party line,” said Bright campaign spokesman Lewis Lowe. “Congressman Bright will continue to be an independent voice for those he represents and is looking forward to receiving the support from the only group that matters: voters in the 2nd Congressional District of Alabama."

Running in a conservative-leaning district, Bright has aggressively distanced himself from Democratic leaders in Washington, saying he would not vote for Nancy Pelosi to serve as speaker of the House. He’s also running TV ads that show him with House Minority Leader John Boehner, noting that he votes “80 percent with the Republican leader.”